- This article is about the city in Belgium. See also Bruges, France.
Sometimes referred to as the " Venice of the north", Bruges has many waterways that run through the city. Bruges (Flemish: Brugge, a name signifying the bridge or the place of bridges) is the historic capital of West Flanders, Flanders being one of the three regions of Belgium.
The municipality comprises the city of Bruges proper and the towns of Assebroek, Dudzele, Koolkerke, Lissewege, Sint_Andries, Sint-Jozef, Sint_Kruis, Sint-Michiels, Sint-Pieters, Zeebrugge, and Zwankendamme. On January 1st, 2004 Bruges had a total population of 117,025 (56,685 males and 60,340 females). The total area is 138.40 kmē which gives a population density of 845.54 inhabitants per kmē.
Bruges is one of Belgium's chief tourist attractions, and was European Capital of Culture in 2002, together with Salamanca. In 1911 the Encyclopaedia Britannica observed that "its medieval appearance is better preserved, as a whole, than in the case of any other Belgian city."
History The history of Bruges begins more than 2000 years ago. At that time there was a Gallic-Roman settlement on the site of the city. The name Bruges comes from the Old Norse "Bryggja" which means 'landing stage'. The name Bruges appears on documents and coins in the middle of the ninth century. At that time there was already a strong citadel in Bruges.
Bruges has a long tradition of international port activity. The oldest trade settlement of Bruges and the early middle age port was accessible from the sea until around 1050. By the eleventh century Bruges had expanded to become a commercial centre for Europe.
It is during this period that the natural link between Bruges and the sea silted up. A storm flood in 1134 changed the appearance of the Flemish coastal plain, however. A deep channel appeared, the Zwin, which at the time reached as far as present day Damme. The city remained linked to the sea until the fifteenth century via a canal from the Zwin to Bruges. But Bruges had to use a number of outports, such as Damme and Sluis for this purpose.
The differences in income between the tradesmen and the patricians were great. Violent revolts, like those of 1280 and 1436-1438 were roughly suppressed. In the 1302 uprising the ordinary people took the side of the Flemish count against the king of France and the propertied classes. First the French garison was murdered in May 1302, two months later Bruges took part in the Flemish victory in the Battle of the Golden Spurs on 11 July 1302.
After a decline during the late 14th and 15th century, Bruges recovered to an extent during the 16th century, but the city had lost its leading trade position to Antwerp. The split from the Netherlands in 1584 led to the final decline of Bruges. Around 1600 Bruges was a provincial city with a modest maritime reputation.
The first book in English ever printed is thought to have been published here. King Charles II of England spent some of his time in exile here.
Sights Like Ghent, but on a more concentrated scale, it has most of its medieval architecture intact.
Miscellaneous The Dutch mathematician Simon Stevin (1548_1620) was born in Bruges. French NBA player Tony Parker was born in Bruges while his American father was playing professional basketball there.
The fictional character, Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movie series is also supposed to be from Bruges.
Transportation A large area of the center of town is carfree.
See also
External link The belfry of Bruges is situated on a big marketplace.
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